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CHAPEL HILL — All summer, Kenan Stadium was a work in progress.

Signs warned of "Hard Hat Only" areas. Dust and debris lay everywhere — the residue of hard, manual labor.

At first glance, it didn't seem possible all the work would be done and the stadium ready for today's opening game.

Kind of like North Carolina's team.

The Tar Heels were a work in progress all through summer training camp. The practice field was a hard-hat only area, and sore muscles and sweat were the residue of hard work.

Both stadium and team debut tonight when the Heels face The Citadel. North Carolina coach Butch Davis likes what he sees of the Kenan renovations, which include new light towers with nearly double the candle-power of the old lights.

"It's one of those projects that almost exceeds your expectations," Davis said.

And the team?

"We're all ready to play a game," Davis said. "We've had as good of a training camp as you could potentially have, with a significant emphasis on trying to develop some young kids and develop some depth."

Most of that development is on offense.

North Carolina won eight games last season, reaching the postseason for the first time since 2004. It was a significant turnaround, but the cost of success was a loss of star power.

Hakeem Nicks left early for the NFL draft, and in all the Heels lost six of their top eight receivers.

T.J. Yates is a proven leader at quarterback, but who will catch his passes?

Junior Greg Little is the top returning wide receiver, and he caught just 11 passes in 13 games a year ago. His backup, junior Johnny White, had one catch in 12 games.

True freshman Joshua Adams, a prized receiver in a strong recruiting class, could make an immediate difference.

The strength of Carolina's offense this season was the big question mark last year: tailback.

Shaun Draughn, a junior, started his college career as a defensive back. But he saw an opportunity to play more last year, and asked the coaches for a chance at running back.

The result? A team-high 866 yards rushing (4.4 per carry), 16 catches out of the backfield (tied for third on the team) and a spot on the Doak Walker Award watch list this season.

"It was baptism under fire last season," Davis said. " ... I thought that Shaun increasingly got better as the season went along. He clearly today has a better grasp and a better understanding of the entire offense."

Davis said the biggest improvement is pass protection, a nuance for any running back, much less a converted safety.

"It's one thing to hand somebody the ball and let God-given athletic ability take over," Davis said, "but there's a certain element of things as far as protecting the quarterback and knowing when to release and when to get out on (pass) routes. I think he's made some real strides in that particular area."

Davis said Draughn also shows more patience now, letting his blockers make plays instead of simply rushing to where the hole is supposed to be.

There are far fewer questions about the Tar Heels' defense, and the return of nine starters certainly played a role in North Carolina being ranked No. 21 in the AP preseason poll.

Middle linebacker Quan Sturdivant made 87 solo tackles last season. Free safety Deunta Williams, the 2007 ACC Rookie of the Year, leads the secondary. And the Heels have all four starters back on the defensive line: ends E.J. Wilson and Robert Quinn and tackles Marvin Austin and Cam Thomas.

"This is the best defensive line we've had," Wilson said. "We proved last year, even with young guys coming in, we were ready to play. Now those guys have built experience. We've got four or five defensive ends that can play and four or five defensive tackles who can play. There's no letup when the starters go out."

So begins a season of high expectations for North Carolina football.

A season that will be played out between the stately hedges that line the field -- and under the brighter lights of a renovated Kenan Stadium.

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com